Foods that lower cholesterol?!

Here are some.

Cholesterol: Top 5 foods to lower your numbers
Diet can play an important role in lowering your cholesterol. Here are five foods that can lower your cholesterol and protect your heart.
By Mayo Clinic staff

Can a bowl of oatmeal help lower your cholesterol? How about a handful of walnuts or even a baked potato topped with some heart-healthy margarine? A few simple tweaks to your diet — like these — may be enough to lower your cholesterol to a healthy level and help you stay off medications.

1. Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes.

Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of fiber. If you add fruit, such as bananas, you'll add about 4 more grams of fiber. To mix it up a little, try steel-cut oatmeal or cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran.

2. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids
Eating fatty fish can be heart-healthy because of its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce your blood pressure and risk of developing blood clots. In people who have already had heart attacks, fish oil — or omega-3 fatty acids — reduces the risk of sudden death.

Doctors recommend eating at least two servings of fish a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in:

■Mackerel
■Lake trout
■Herring
■Sardines
■Albacore tuna
■Salmon
■Halibut
You should bake or grill the fish to avoid adding unhealthy fats. If you don't like fish, you can also get small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flaxseed or canola oil.

You can take an omega-3 or fish oil supplement to get some of the benefits, but you won't get other nutrients in fish, like selenium. If you decide to take a supplement, just remember to watch your diet and eat lean meat or vegetables in place of fish.

3. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts
Walnuts, almonds and other nuts can reduce blood cholesterol. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, eating about a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease. Just make sure the nuts you eat aren't salted or coated with sugar.

All nuts are high in calories, so a handful will do. To avoid eating too many nuts and gaining weight, replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts. For example, instead of using cheese, meat or croutons in your salad, add a handful of walnuts or almonds.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholest…

The only foods that contain cholesterol are meat and dairy products and the foods that contain these as ingredients. The main things that don't contain cholesterol are fresh fruits and veggies. An adequate amount of fresh fruits and veggies everyday and a low amount of cholesterol can help reduce the amounts of cholesterol in your body because fruits and veggies help to "flush" cholesterol from your body with things like antioxidants and plant photosterols. Things like soy have also been shown to reduce cholesterol.

Due to your age I have to ask are you overweight? If so that can make your levels rise. I mean if your cholesterol is high at age 17 and it's not due to weight issues maybe you do need the pills.

If it's due to weight...watch your carbs. Eat AT LEAST 7 or more serving of veggies everyday, only about 4 to 6 servings of carbs(unless you are on a serious workout routine b/c carbs are energy...carbs not used for energy are stored), and 2 to 3 servings of fruit every day and you should see some serious improvements(I mean if it's even possible this should do it). Drink at least 3 glasses of water each day. I eat this way every day. It works. I have a BMI of 18.8(that's what you want) and I have been vegetarian for over 9 yrs now.

I am a current freshman. My major is nutrition.

It's hard to believe that, at your age, the doctor is talking about medication. How high was it? If you are an active teen female, a cholesterol level of up to 240 isn't really bad, unless you have other risk factors.

But anyway, high cholesterol was why I went vegan in the first place. No meat, dairy or eggs, lots of whole grains and beans for protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, low saturated fats. I lowered my cholesterol from 240 to under 160.

wow no one mentioned exercise.

I read somewhere that a new study said exercise alone can reduce cholesterol. Thirty minutes a day is a must. Get that heart pumping.

When you exercise you stimulate enzymes that cause the bad cholesterol to go back to the liver. This is then turned into bile and exits our body naturally.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. We normally don't think or vegetables in our breakfast

Hi, foods that are high in vitamin C such as orange juice, oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, lemons, limes, jalepenos and tomatoes are great for lowering blood pressure. A vegan diet also lowers blood pressure because avoidance of eggs and dairy. Goodluck.

Cholesterol is in animal products. Milk, cheese, eggs, meat, ect.
Try lowering your intake in dairy products. That should help.
That's why vegans have such low cholesterol. They don't eat anything from animals.